An Open-Access Community Orchard and Living Classroom

Mary Scott Community Orchard is located at the edge of a food desert in Richmond, Indiana and within walking distance of three separate schools and a daycare. It occupies one part of the larger Mary Scott Community Park. The creation of this community space serves numerous goals.  Orchards serve numerous uses when they are located in the right space with the right purpose.  Communities across the United States are embracing this belief and transforming public spaces. We believe in community and the usefulness and value of these spaces. 

We are all responsible to and for one another, so this orchard is our contribution towards that larger belief.  The orchard site and pollinator garden serve as a valuable resource for science and other teachers in schools. Teaching students about nature and the processes of which we are all a part, is essential and aligned to the educational standards of Indiana schools.  Residents of the community have access to this site as much as the public parks in our community.  These public spaces are important for our sense of community and relationships with one another.   Lastly, it serves as a means for fresh organic fruit and nutritional awareness. Healthier lifestyles always begin with knowledge. Wood Block Press is committed to this small site and its continued use  by the community of Richmond.